Buffalo Chickpea Dip

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

The Sports Center alerts constantly buzzing on my husband’s phone, followed by groans of disappointment over the status of his “fantasy team”, tell me that it’s football season. The holidays and the food-filled gatherings that accompany them are also fast approaching. Both of these make for good excuses to throw together the recipe that I’m about to share with you, but, truth be told, you don’t need an excuse. For the love of everything that is right and good, just make this recipe.

Buffalo Chickpea Dip, guys.

This isn’t a new one by the way. This is a GF in the City classic that I’m re-posting here because it’s my recipe and I can do that, so there. 😉 This was/is without a doubt the most popular recipe I ever published on GFitC, and rightfully so. Everyone who has ever made or tasted it has absolutely loved it.

And while it’s great for sharing as an appetizer at social gatherings, we’ve found that it also makes a pretty spectacular dinner. Chris has even started requesting it for special occasions (both Father’s Day and his birthday this year). We also have multiple friends and family members who make this on a regular basis, more than half of the time as a meal.

This Buffalo Chickpea Dip is everything that you could possibly want from a buffalo dip: it’s spicy, ridiculously creamy, thick and scoopable. If that wasn’t enough, being that this version is vegan, it’s also totally free of cholesterol, low in saturated fat, and is loaded with fiber from all the beans. Oh and did I mention that it’s also free of both gluten and soy? It has that quintessential buffalo flavor and the whole chickpeas add great texture (they’re my future brother-in-law’s favorite part). We like to serve it with tortilla chips, celery, and carrot sticks for dipping. The tortilla chips used to be my favorite vehicle, but now it’s the celery, hands down.

Trust me when I say that you need this dip in your life. And also trust me when I say you might want to consider making a double batch. In my experience it goes fast, even (especially?) when placed beside a non-veg version. You’ll want plenty to go around.

Tortilla chips for dipping

 

5.0 from 3 reviews
Buffalo Chickpea Dip
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free Option

This insanely delicious dip is guaranteed to please both vegans and omnivores alike. Luckily it doubles well, and the flavors will get even better if you prep it a day in advance.
Ingredients
  • 1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • ¾ cup original Frank’s Red Hot sauce
  • ½ cup unflavored, unsweetened non-dairy milk (or water)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
  • 1 rounded tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Ground black pepper
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh, finely-chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chopped chives
  • 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup Daiya cheddar-style cheese, divided
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Add the beans and cashews to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to break them up a bit. Add the hot sauce, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper. Process until the mixture is entirely smooth (this will take several minutes), stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Adjust salt to taste.
  3. Scrape the bean mixture into a bowl and stir in the parsley and chives to evenly distribute. Stir in the chickpeas and ¾ cup of the Daiya.
  4. Transfer the dip to a 9×9-inch square baking dish and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of Daiya on top. (Note: Dip can be made up to this point a day or two ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to heat and serve.) Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until warmed through. If the Daiya isn't fully melted, set the dish under the broiler for a minute or two to melt; this isn't necessary but looks nice.
  5. Serve with tortilla chips and veggies for dipping.
Notes
Nut-Free Option: Based on feedback from the original post on GF in the City, soaked raw sunflower seeds are an appropriate substitute for the cashews.

 

Comments

  1. Alexsis Ramos de Moore says

    I have made this recipe countless times. But, I have never commented on it here or on GF in the City where I originally found it. I am making it again right now for our Roller Derby Holiday party. It’s in the oven and I can not wait to share it. Everyone always raves about it and all the non-vegans in my life request that I make it for their parties. It’s about time I said “Thank You.” So, THANK YOU. xoxo

    • Britt says

      Sure! I’d recommend baking it first in the oven as written. You can let it cool, refrigerate it again, whatever you need to do to keep it before you transport it. To reheat it in the microwave, cover tightly with plastic wrap and heat it for a couple minutes. Time will depend on the microwave you’re using, how cold the dip is when you put it in, etc, but just keep checking it until it’s warm. Worst case–the dip is still pretty delicious cold! 😉

  2. Veronica says

    Will be making this for the first time today!!! Looks and sounds good so hopefully it tastes good lol. My family and I are very new to eating vegan so trying to find kid friendly, vegan, nut-free, GF and as much dairy free as I can find. Due to allergies and me just trying to change our eating habits to a healthy lifestyle. Thank you!!!

  3. Barb says

    I want to make this recipe so badly, but I don’t buy processed food. What can I sub for the Daiya cheddar cheese? TIA

    • Britt says

      Hi Barb! You can skip the Daiya. The consistency may be slightly different when baked (maybe a tad less firm?), but it should still come out well. I mean, I sample it straight out of the food processor every time I make it, and I’ve had more than one person tell me they forgot the Daiya by mistake and that it was still delicious. Let me know how it comes out!

  4. Allison says

    Please tell me I’m not the only person who read “beans” and processed BOTH the white beans and garbanzos only to read later down in the instructions to “stir in the chickpeas” and go…… uh…..whoops. Crossing my fingers it still turns out okay!

    • Britt says

      Hi Allison! So sorry for the confusion—people have definitely made this mistake before. I can update the recipe to read “white beans” specifically, but a rule to remember when reading recipes (that are written properly): all the ingredients in a recipe are (should be) listed in the order in which you use them, which is why the chickpeas are listed much farther down than the white beans. Also, it’s generally good to give a recipe a quick read-through before you make it so that you have an idea of how it all comes together and what to expect as you go along. 🙂

      I hope your dip came out okay anyway!

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